Oakland Program To Help Downtown Businesses Go Green

OAKLAND (KCBS) – The City of Oakland plans to reach out to more than 4,000 downtown businesses in an effort to promote the use of energy-efficient lighting and other conservation measures.

A variety of energy-saving packages and incentives have been put together for any business interested in participating in the program, called Oakland Shines, said Derrick Rebello, president of Quantum Energy Services and Technologies, one of the participating vendors.

“What we’ve tried to do here is package all of it up so you don’t have to go figure out what the right technology is. You don’t have to figure out who the right contractor is. You don’t have to figure out how to fill the application out.”

KCBS’ Dave Padilla Reports:

Start-to-finish technical assistance is free, with significant discounts offered on many of the energy conservation measures, Rebello said.

The goal is for 80 percent of the businesses between Jack London Square and Interstate 980 to reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent.

A spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, also participating, said Oakland Shines could serve as a blue print for a similar program that serves the entire Bay Area.

It’s funded with a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission.